Product Description

The work of Polhemus Savery DaSilva Architects Builders reflects the special qualities of Cape Cod, Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket. This is a region of stunning landscapes and water views, crisp ocean-reflected light, classic villages, and abundant opportunities for playful living. Architecture of the Cape Cod Summer presents more than ten years of evocative design and well crafted construction that is rooted in this fabled place. In an architectural world increasingly polarized between strict revivalist classicism and "avant-garde" abstraction, the work of Polhemus Savery DaSilva displays a compelling third way. The book features twenty-five projects that range from modest to elaborate. Each is an individual creation tailored to its specific location and client. Several additional projects are depicted in a chronology of the firm's major work. The volume contains an eloquent introduction and text by Michael J. Crosbie, as well as forewords by renowned architects Cesar Pelli and Robert Venturi. An essay by John R. DaSilva, Design Partner, describes the firm's approach and revisits the genesis of the Shingle Style that is so influential in residential architecture today. Drawings by the firm and more than four hundred color photographs by leading architectural photographers illustrate this sixth volume of the New Classicists series.

From the Publisher The work of Polhemus Savery DaSilva depicted in this book has been praised by some of the most well respected architects in the world. The following are some of their comments:

"Here is architecture sublimely contextual within the natural/rural, cultural-historical place that is Cape Cod....teeming with exquisite details - rich and varied in their extreme beauty.... One is constantly fascinated and at the same time always at ease when outside and inside these intriguing buildings. Viva the joy and wit, the elegance and charm, of this architecture which is ultimately mannerist in its complex and contradictory quality!" Robert Venturi

"... they have reached deep in the architectural traditions of Cape Cod to produce charming and intelligent designs. The buildings... feel like up-to-date evolutions of Cape Cod architecture, deeply influenced by shingle-style architecture. This connection with the tradition of buildings of Cape Cod makes the designs... natural to the place and at the same time feel fresh and of our time." Cesar Pelli

"The world of Polhemus Savery DaSilva is so enormously refreshing, as this work takes the best of the Cape's context together with the architect's own personal approach and melds them into a body of uncompromising domestic architecture." Michael Graves

"The work of Polhemus Savery Dasilva beautifully melds the traditions of New England with the way we live today, affirming that an architecture of place trumps an architecture preoccupied with passing trends." Robert A.M. Stern

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #147009 in Books
• Published on: 2008-07-25
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 264 pages

From the Publisher
The work of Polhemus Savery DaSilva Architects Builders reflects the special qualities of Cape Cod, Martha?s Vineyard and Nantucket. This is a region of stunning landscapes and water views, crisp ocean-reflected light, classic villages, and abundant opportunities for playful living. Architecture of the Cape Cod Summer presents more than ten years of evocative design and well crafted construction that is rooted in this fabled place. In an architectural world increasingly polarized between strict revivalist classicism and 'avant-garde' abstraction, the work of Polhemus Savery DaSilva displays a compelling third way. The book features twenty-five projects that range from modest to elaborate. Each is an individual creation tailored to its specific location and client. Several additional projects are depicted in a chronology of the firm?s major work. The volume contains an eloquent introduction and text by Michael J. Crosbie, as well as forewords by renowned architects Cesar Pelli and Robert Venturi. An essay by John R. DaSilva, Design Partner, describes the firm?s approach and revisits the genesis of the Shingle Style that is so influential in residential architecture today. Drawings by the firm and more than four hundred color photographs by leading architectural photographers illustrate this sixth volume of the New Classicists series.

Customer Reviews

Cape Cod Architecture
The following review by Edward Maroney appeared in The Barnstable Patriot, 08/22/08 (used and abridged with permission):

Trophy houses aren't built for neighborliness. They pop up like airplane hangars in cul-de-sacs - that is to say, out of scale with their surroundings. How refreshing, then, to see Architecture of the Cape Cod Summer, a celebration of the creations of Polhemus Savery DaSilva Architects Builders, a Chatham and Osterville firm. The oversize houses in this oversize book enchant rather than irritate, a tribute to the attention lavished on details by their makers.

The firm's principals have connections to notable architects Cesar Pelli and Robert Venturi, who contribute forewords celebrating PSD's fondness for Shingle Style structures and ability to update traditional forms. Author Michael Crosbie is an amiable companion through a tour of the buildings, which range from magnificent to slyly humorous.

The firm's sense of play is evident in John and Sharon DaSilva's own vacation home, a little gem that riffs on the gingerbread cottages of Martha's Vineyard. Here the Gothic screened porch is on the second floor, providing privacy and a lovely sense of relaxing in the world's most comfortable tree house.

An evening shot of a house on Harper's Island in Nantucket Sound emphasizes the clerestory windows and overhanging roofs, making one imagine that the whole structure is ready to lift off.

There is great surprise in the discovery of the firm's gift for unique smaller structures. These have an appealing verticality that allows them to seize their sites, and provide gorgeous views.

At the end of this tour of exterior and interior delights, John DaSilva contributes an essay questioning whether the firm belongs among the "New Classicists" (the title of the Images Publishing series). He makes it clear that PSD's art is referential but not reverential to the point of re-creation.

Architecture of the Cape Cod Summer satisfies as a substantial, not splashy, showcase for a group that's helping to remake Cape Cod.

Breathtaking Homes
The photographs in this book
are outstanding.
The architectural design of these
Cape Cod Homes is breathtaking.
This book is well worth the price
and a great addition to any home
library.
Karen H. Collings

A perfect gift
I was given this book as a gift and I have since spent many hours thumbing through the pages. The photographs, detailed architectural drawings and renderings give the reader an in depth understanding of each project. The architecture is both beautiful and inspiring. Any designer, architecture enthusiast or student will find this book a worthwhile addition to their collection.